Fiskateers

Spreading the “Fiskars Love” through Word of Mouth Marketing 

During 2006, Fiskars launched a Word of Mouth Marketing campaign and saw it grow from the first four Fiskateers, Cheryl, Holly, May and Stephenie, to over 1000.

The goal was to communicate with the crafting enthusiast on a more intimate level, far beyond traditional advertising or education campaigns.  Reaching out to the most loyal Fiskars advocates empowered them to become brand ambassadors.  The first four Fiskateers were trained on Word of Mouth Marketing and set up with a dedicated website, their own blogs, and product samples.  There was so much buzz about the program, the website had over 20,000 visitors in the first 24 hours of its July premiere.

Fiskateers create and unite a culture and transform it into a movement.  They fascinate, inspire, and engage those curious about the Fiskars Brand.  Fiskateers blog about their crafting and scrapbooking projects, how Fiskars products are helping them complete their projects and about life in general.  They participate in other craft message boards and in chat rooms, attend conventions and teach classes all over the country.  They hold crops and charity events in the name of Fiskars.  They talk about Fiskars and crafting and get others to talk about Fiskars and crafting too. 

Each Lead Fiskateer is in charge of a Traveling Trunk filled with the latest crafting supplies and goodies.  Trunks and a supporting Fiskateer travel to craft retailers with supplies for use in classes, product demonstrations, training store personnel, or just exploring.   Each trunk focuses on a special area of crafting.  Fiskateers switch trunks quarterly so there is always something new to discover and demonstrate.

The Fiskateers and Word of Mouth campaign have been magical for Fiskars.  It has quickly grown into a community of crafters who are so devoted to Fiskars that they market and evangelize to other members of the crafting community.  The initial goal for 2006 of 200 Fiskateers has been exceeded by almost 1000, from nearly every state with participation in Fiskateer events from 43 countries around the world. 

The program has caught the attention of marketing experts.  As the leader of the program, Suzanne Fanning, Fiskars Craft PR Manager, has been interviewed for two marketing books and asked to be a speaker for the Word of Mouth Marketing Association next year.  The program has been documented in several articles and Fiskars has been called “ingenious.” 

The goals for 2007 are no less ambitious and sure to be exceeded.  “The program is far more than we ever imagined,” says Suzanne Fanning. “We are looking at training for crafters and launching programs in 5 countries.”

To schedule a Traveling Trunk for your store, contact a Fiskateer at www.fiskateer.com.  Catch-up on the Fiskateers’ latest adventures by visiting the blogs for Cheryl, Holly, May and Stephenie.

By Steve